It has been known that various chemical mediators released from mast cells are deeply involved in the production of allergic diseases represented by asthma and atopic dermatitis, and that the allergic reaction arises as a result of binding of the Fc region of IgE antibodies with their receptors on the membranes of those cells. Indeed, it has been also known that the serum or tissue concentration of IgE antibodies of the patient with an allergic disease is considerably higher an than that of normal persons. Furthermore, the patient with an allergic disease has been known to show a maintained production of interleukin 4 (IL-4) which plays an important role in the production of IgE antibodies. Accordingly, if a drug were discovered that could inhibit the production of IgE antibodies, it would be effective for prophylaxis and/or treatment of allergic diseases. However, what is now used for the treatment of allergic diseases mainly consists of drugs blocking the receptor of histamine which is one of chemical mediators, or drugs suppressing the release of chemical mediators from their productive cells, and drugs that might inhibit the production of IgE antibodies have never been used for the treatment of allergic diseases. If a new drug were discovered that could inhibit the production of IgE antibodies, it would be useful as a more fundamental drug for prophylaxis and/or treatment of allergic diseases, because it would intercept allergic reactions at an earlier stage than is possible with the conventional drugs that interfere with the release of chemical mediators from their productive cells.
TF (tissue factor) is a complex composed of lipids and glycoproteins localized in the membrane fraction from tissues and cells, and recognized widely over the living body especially in brain, lungs, placenta, kidneys, etc. In addition, vascular endothelial cells, monocytes and/or macrophages, when stimulated from outside, are induced to produce TF, and express it on the surface of their cell membranes.
This TF is practically an initiator of extrinsic coagulation pathway, and is deeply involved in hemostasis/coagulation. More precisely, TF forms a complex with factor VII to activate factor VII, and the resulting TF-VIIa complex contributes to the activation of factors IX and X. Further, because TF is expressed/produced by macrophages as mentioned above, it has been thought that it is involved in biophylaxis including the immune system.
When a tissue is injured in trauma, burns, a variety of operations, or in lesions such as malignant tumors, fulminant hepatitis, sepsis and the like, TF is released into blood stream, which may activate the extrinsic coagulation pathway so much as to cause various disorders. DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation) is known as one of such disorders. Further, during infection, delayed immune response, various rejection reactions subsequent to tissue transplantation, glomerular nephritis, viral hepatitis, etc., production of TF in vascular endothelial cells, monocytes, and/or macrophages is enhanced to cause thrombosis. Furthermore, thrombin which is located downstream of the extrinsic coagulation pathway can also act as a stimulant of proliferation of smooth muscles. Therefore, increased activity of TF may result in diseases related with thickened endothelium such as arteriosclerosis or restenosis.
Even if an injury is inflicted on an avascular tissue, it causes enhanced production of TF in the affected cells, which may lead to various disorders. One of such disorders is opacification after the insertion of an artificial crystalline lens for the treatment of cataract (Japanese Patent TOKKAIHEI (Unexamined) No. 5-271068 and Takahashi, J. Jap. Opthalmol. Soc., 97:792-799, 1993).
From above it is obvious that if a drug were found that could suppress the production or activity of TF, it would be also quite effective for prophylaxis/treatment of the disorders closely related with enhanced production/activity of TF.
Prior arts related with the compounds of this invention include the following.
Japanese Patent TOKKAIHEI (Unexamined) No. 1-287066 showed that the compound having a naphthalene moiety and an anthranilic acid moiety at the same time such as N-(2-naphthoyl) anthranilic acid has an antiallergic activity or an inhibitory activity of 5-lipoxygenase. However, the compound described in this reference is characterized with a structure wherein a two-ring aromatic derivative which has been substituted with hydroxy or alkoxy groups is directly combined with an anthranilic acid moiety via amide bond. Further, the reference did not mention anything whether the compound has an inhibitory effect on the production of IgE antibodies.
Similarly, Japanese Patent TOKKAISHO (Unexamined) No. 63-270634 demonstrated that the compound which has a naphthalene moiety and an anthranilic acid moiety at the same time can inhibit the activity of lipoxygenase and have an anti-SRS-A activity. However, in the compound described above, a naphthalene moiety is connected to an anthranilic acid moiety via an alkyl aliphatic. Further, the reference gave no mention whether the compound inhibits the production of IgE antibodies.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent TOKKAIHEI (Unexamined) No. 1-106818 and PCT WO 90/12001 describes the compound having a naphthalene moiety is capable of suppressing allergy reactions and of inhibiting the production of IgE antibodies. However, those compounds described in the two references have the following characteristics: the former must have a cyclopropane structure, and the latter must have substitutable groups in the naphthalene ring such as hydroxy groups.
According to an article (Eur. J. Med. Chem. 26:159-166 (1991)), it was reported that a group of compounds having naphthalene moiety is capable of inhibiting the activity of lipoxygenase, and that a certain compound comprising a naphthalene moiety and a 2-hydroxyaniline amide structure is mentioned. However, in this compound, a naphthalene moiety is connected to a 2-hydroxyaniline amide structure via an alkyl aliphatic. Furthermore, that article gave no mention whether the compound has an inhibitory effect on the production of IgE antibodies.
Further, in EP-102325-A, there was a description of a compound wherein a benzene moiety is linked via a sulfone group to a naphthalene moiety, and to the benzene moiety another benzene moiety is linked via amide bond. However, the present specification described herein did not disclose the compound where a naphthalene moiety was linked to a benzene moiety via a sulfone group. Further the latter benzene moiety linked to the former benzene via amide has a sulfonic acid substituent. Therefore, the compound in question is obviously different from the compound in this invention. Furthermore, the reference does not give any mention about inhibitory effects of that compound on the production of IgE antibodies.
In another article (Helv. Chem. Acta 39:1892-1899 (1956)), it was reported a compound where a benzene moiety was linked to a naphthalene moiety via a carbonyl group, and then another benzene was linked to above benzene moiety via amide bond. However, as regards the compound described in this article, the former benzene moiety linked to the naphthalene moiety via a carbonyl group has a nitro substituent at the meta-position of the carbonyl group, and the second benzene moiety linked to above benzene moiety via amide bond has a dimethylamino substituent. In short, the compound in the article is obviously different from the compound in this invention is going to present. Further, the article did not mention any inhibitory effects of the compound on the production of IgE antibodies.
Furthermore, neither articles nor references mentioned heretofore described whether the compounds have any inhibitory effects on TF activities.
Japanese Patents TOKKAIHEI Nos. 3-215421 and 5-271068 disclosed that certain compounds interfere with the activity of TF. However, these compounds have a naphthalene moiety, a cyclopropane moiety, and an anthranilic acid moiety at the same time, thus being quite different in structure from the compound this invention is going to present.
It has been known that the compounds interfering with the activity of TF include Vitamin A (Horie et al., Japanese Patent TOKKAIHEI No. 4-290818), phospholipid derivatives (U.S. Pat. No. 3,264,378), and PLA.sub.2 inhibitors such as 4-bromophenacyl bromide or quinacrine (BBRC 119:179-184, (1984)). However, these compounds have no similarities in their structure to the compound this invention is going to present.
With these prior arts as a background, the present inventors had studied to provide new naphthalene derivatives useful as a pharmaceutical product, and succeeded in providing the compounds of this invention.